- 1974-75 Kentucky Colonels season
NBA season
team = Kentucky Colonels
end_year = 1975
wins = 58
losses = 26
division = Eastern
division_place = 1st
conf_place = 1st
coach =Hubie Brown
arena =Freedom Hall
playoffs = Won the 1975 ABA ChampionshipThe 1974-75American Basketball Association season saw theKentucky Colonels , led byDan Issel ,Artis Gilmore ,Louie Dampier and coachHubie Brown , win the 1975 ABA Championship.Offseason
Draft picks
Preseason transactions
Following the
1973-74 Kentucky Colonels season , the Colonels fired head coachBabe McCarthy despite his winning the 1974 ABA Coach of the Year award.Milwaukee Bucks assistant coachHubie Brown was hired as McCarthy's replacement in June 1974.Preseason exhibition games
Like most ABA teams, the Colonels played several preseason exhibition games against
NBA opponents. By September 29, 1974 the ABA had won all five of that season's ABA vs. NBA exhibition games as the Colonels took the floor inLincoln, Nebraska against the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Dan Issel scored 26 for the Colonels but the Kings won, 102-91. On October 1 the NBA'sWashington Bullets visited the Colonels' home court atFreedom Hall .Artis Gilmore had 26 points and 16 rebounds as the Colonels won, 118-95. On October 5, 1974 the Colonels traveled toPasadena, Texas to face theHouston Rockets . The Rockets won 96-95 despite Gilmore's 22 points. On October 8, 1974 in Louisville the Colonels hosted theDetroit Pistons , defeating the NBA team 109-100 behind Gilmore's 18 points and 11 rebounds. On October 12 the Colonels defeated theChicago Bulls in Louisville, 93-75. Gilmore scored 24 points and Dan Issel scored 15.http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060310-113334-5076r]The ABA went 16-7 vs. the NBA in that season's exhibition games; the Colonels posted a 3-2 record.
Regular season
Roster
*10
Louie Dampier
*14Bird Averitt
*22Wil Jones
*23Gene Littles
*24Ted McClain
*25 Jim Bradley
*31Marv Roberts
*42Ron Thomas
*44Dan Issel
*53Artis Gilmore [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/KentuckyMaterial/ColonelsRosters2.html Remember the ABA: Kentucky Colonels Year-to-Year Rosters ] ]eason standings
1974-75 Kentucky Colonels season
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-! colspan=2 style="color:#0000FF" | [http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/KEN/1974_games.html 1973–74 Schedule]
Month by Month
October 1974
The ABA opened its regular season on October 18, 1974 and on that night the host Colonels defeated the November 1974 On November 1 the Colonels defeated the Virginia Squires 125-93 in front of 8,203 fans as Louie Dampier led all scorers with 24. Two nights later in Louisville Kentucky defeated the On November 13 the Colonels returned to Lexington, again facing the New York Nets. Julius Erving had 44 points and the game went into two overtimes before 9,577 fans; Kentucky won 132-129. Kentucky's seven game win streak came to an end on November 14 in an overtime road game as Bird Averitt's 26 were not enough to stop the San Antonio Spurs, who won 102-100 before 8,354 fans. On November 17 the Colonels bounced back with a 116-103 win against the Indiana Pacers in Lexington; Artis Gilmore scored 32 points and 7,381 attended. November 22 saw the Colonels on the road in San Diego, losing 121-103 to the Conquistadors as Travis Grant scored 34. The next evening the Colonels lost another road game, a one point overtime loss to the Utah Stars. Despite Bird Averitt's 31 points the Stars pulled out the overtime win 111-110 before 8,476 fans. On November 26 the Colonels returned home and defeated the Memphis Sounds 128-106 before 7,805 fans; Stew Johnson had 24 points. November 28 saw the Colonels notch a road win against the Virginia Squires, prevailing 108-95 in Hampton Roads despite George Irvine's 27 points. The next night Kentucky lost a road game to the New York Nets; 10,562 saw Julius Erving put in 33 points in a 107-98 Nets victory. Kentucky ended the month with an unusual home game in The Colonels went 9-4 in November for a season record of 15-5 (.750) at the start of December. December 1974 On December 4 the Colonels lost on the road to the Spirits of St. Louis, 126-122; Maurice Lucas scored 30 before 2,898 fans. December 7 saw the Colonels at home winning a rematch against the Spirits 119-107; 9,830 saw St. Louis' December 21 saw the Colonels win before 5,807 fans at home against the Memphis Sounds, 115-98; Caldwell Jones had 26 points. The next night Kentucky won another home game, this time against the Indiana Pacers 118-110 despite George McGinnis' 35 points in front of 7,606 fans. On December 26 the Colonels faced the Pacers again, and this time Kentucky lost on the road 122-111 as Billy Keller had 33 points before 10,064 fans. The Colonels returned to Louisville on December 29 and defeated the Memphis Sounds 125-114 before 8,711 fans despite Tom Owens' 37 points. The next night the Colonels closed out the month and the calendar year by winning on the road, defeating the Virginia Squires 104-85 behind Artis Gilmore's 26 points. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAYearlyGameLogs/7475Part2.html 1974-75 ABA Game by Game Log- Part 2 ] ] Kentucky went 8-5 in December to bring their record for the season to 23-10. They moved into 1975 without Red Robbins, who had been sold to the Virginia Squires. January 1975 The Colonels opened 1975 on January 3 with a home win against the Virginia Squires, 113-79, before 7,945 fans. The next night at home Kentucky defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-111; 10,268 fans saw Dan Issel lead all scorers with 36. The next night the Colonels lost on the road to the Spirits of St. Louis 109-106. January 8 saw the Colonels, paced by Artis Gilmore's 26, win before 14,203 fans at home against the Virginia Squires 113-96. The next night, the Colonels won on the road against the Spirits of St. Louis, 123-116. St. Louis' Marvin Barnes led all scorers with 29, but Kentucky's Artis Gilmore had 28 points, 20 rebounds and 8 blocked shots. On January 11 the Colonels won on the road against the Utah Stars 95-89; Artis Gilmore and Ron Boone each scored 28. On January 14 the Colonels lost a road game to the Denver Nuggets 118-99. The next night in Norfolk the Colonels defeated the Virginia Squires 108-102. On January 15 the Colonels sold John Roche to the Utah Stars. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/KentuckyMaterial/ColonelsYearly.html Remember the ABA: Kentucky Colonels Year-to-Year Notes ] ] On January 17 Kentucky lost a road game to the New York Nets 108-93; Julius Erving scored 40 points before 12,133 fans. January 19 saw Kentucky win at home against the Denver Nuggets 114-101; Artis Gilmore led all scorers with 34 points in front of 7,712 fans. On January 22 the Colonels won before a home crowd of 7,971; Artis Gilmore led the way with 23 as Kentucky beat the Memphis Sounds 114-91. On January 23 Kentucky won at home against the San Diego Conquistadors 113-109; 6,383 fans saw Caldwell Jones lead all scorers with 39. The next night the Colonels lost on the road to the New York Nets 112-110 as Julius Erving scored 42 points before 12,329 fans. On January 26 the Colonels won their next road game, against the Memphis Sounds, 108-104 in overtime. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAYearlyGameLogs/7475Part3.html 1974-75 ABA Game by Game Log- Part 3 ] ] On January 28 Louie Dampier, Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore represented Kentucky in the ABA All-Star Game in San Antonio. Their East team defeated the West 151-124. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAAllStarGames/AllStar.html Remember the ABA: American Basketball Association All-Star Games ] ] Kentucky closed out the month on January 31 with a 134-104 home win against the Spirits of St. Louis; 9,884 fans saw Artis Gilmore lead all scorers with 37 points as he went 15 of 17 from the floor and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. The Colonels went 11-4 in January to bring their record for the season to 34-14 (.708). February 1975 On February 2 Kentucky won before a home crowd of 8,374, defeating the Utah Stars 96-86. On February 5 Kentucky won at home 118-97 against the Spirits of St. Louis; Artis Gilmore put in 26 points before 8,122 fans. February 7 saw the Colonels win a close one on the road against the San Diego Conquistadors, 115-114; Louie Dampier led all scorers with 26 before a typically small San Diego crowd of 2,836. The next night in Salt Lake City Kentucky defeated the Utah Stars 90-87; attendance was 12,441. The following night at home Kentucky defeated the Stars 112-95; 7,988 saw Dan Issel lead all scorers with 30. On February 12 the Colonels won on the road, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 112-100 as George Gervin led all scorers with 31 before 7,739 fans. With Kentucky's next road game their six game win streak came to an end with a loss on February 15 as the Denver Nuggets won 109-107 as a crowd of 7,494 saw Artis Gilmore score 37. The next night in San Diego the Colonels fell in overtime to the Conquistadors 133-128; Bo Lamar led all scorers with 40 points before 2,759 fans. February 18 saw Kentucky win on the road against the Virginia Squires 121-104; Artis Gilmore and Red Robbins led all scorers with 29 points each. The next night in Louisville the Colonels downed the Spirits of St. Louis 114-107; Dan Issel had a game-high 37 before 7,623 fans. On February 21 the Colonels lost at home to the San Diego Conquistadors 110-108; 8,411 fans saw Bo Lamar and Wil Jones lead all scorers with 21 each. Another loss came the following night on the San Antonio Spurs' home court; Dan Issel put in 31 but the Spurs won 110-108 before 7,764 fans. The next night Kentucky dropped another road game, this time 109-107 before 7,429 Denver Nuggets fans despite Artis Gilmore's 27 points. The next evening, in their fourth game in four days, the Colonels won at home 109-87 against the Memphis Sounds; 5,284 saw Artis Gilmore score 33. After a one day break Kentucky returned to action on February 26 with a 101-99 home win against the Indiana Pacers; 9,884 fans saw the Colonels overcome George McGinnis' 43 points. Kentucky went 10-5 in February to move their season mark to 44-19 (.698). March 1975 The Colonels opened March at home against the New York Nets, winning 95-84 behind Dan Issel's 29 points as 16,188 fans watched. The next night in Louisville the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Colonels 103-98 despite Artis Gilmore's 35 points and a home crowd of 9,463 fans. March 5 saw the Colonels lose on the road to the Indianapolis Pacers 103-90 as 10,719 saw Gilmore and On March 12 the Colonels took the floor as the home team in On March 21 the Colonels lost on the road to the New York Nets 115-101; 13,458 saw The Colonels went 12-5 in March to improve their season mark to 56-26. The Colonels ended the month in a tie with the New York Nets for first place in the Eastern Division. April 1975 On April 2 6,966 fans came to Freedom Hall to watch the Colonels dispatch the Virginia Squires 88-81. The next night the Colonels won on the road before 5,587 fans against the Memphis Sounds, 103-93. The Colonels and the New York Nets finished the season tied for first place in the Eastern Division with identical records of 58-26. Although the Colonels had defeated the Nets 6 times to the Nets' 5 wins against the Colonels, a one game playoff to determine first place in the Eastern Division was scheduled. Playoffs One game playoff for first place in the Eastern Division The Colonels and the New York Nets met in Louisville's Freedom Hall on April 4 for a one game playoff to determine which of the two teams tied for first place in the Eastern Division would claim first place. 13,672 attended. Julius Erving scored 34 points for the Nets; Artis Gilmore grabbed 33 rebounds for Kentucky. The Colonels won, 108-99, and moved on to face the fourth place Memphis Sounds in the Eastern Division semifinals as the Nets went against the third place Spirits of St. Louis. Eastern Division semifinals The Colonels hosted the fourth place Memphis Sounds in Game 1 of their Eastern Division semifinals series on April 6. Kentucky won 98-91 behind Artis Gilmore's 25 points. In Game 2 on April 8 the host Colonels defeated the Sounds 119-105 as Kentucky's Louie Dampier scored 23. On April 10 Game 3 saw the Colonels prevail 101-80 in Memphis as 5,414 fans saw Tom Owens lead all scorers with 33. Kentucky took a 3-0 margin into Game 4 in Memphis on April 11 but the Sounds stayed alive with a 107-93 win in front of 4,771 fans despite Dan Issel's 26 points. Game 5 was played in Louisville on April 13 and the Colonels won the game and the series as Artis Gilmore's 33 points powered Kentucky to a 111-99 win. Eastern Division finals The Spirits of St. Louis had finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Division 26 games behind the Nets and Colonels with a record of 32-52. The Nets had claimed Game 1 in their Eastern Division Semifinals series against the Spirits but St. Louis had roared back to reel off four straight wins to advance against the favored Nets, claiming the spot against the Colonels in the Eastern Division semifinals. Game 1 of the Eastern Division semifinals was played in Louisville on April 21. Kentucky won 112-99 despite Freddie Lewis' 35 points. Game 2 on April 23 saw the Colonels win at home 108-103 despite Marvin Barnes' 43 points. The series then moved to St. Louis on April 25. The Spirits had lagged in attendance all season but outdrew the Colonels' first two crowds in the series as 10,142 showed up for Game 3. Freddie Lewis scored 32 points and St. Louis defeated Kentucky 103-97. Game 4 saw Artis Gilmore lead all scorers with 33 as the Colonels beat the Spirits 117-98 before 11,688 fans on April 27. The Spirits and Colonels met for Game 5 in Louisville on April 28. Kentucky's crowd of 8,726 was less than either of the two St. Louis crowds, and Marvin Barnes scored 35 points for the Spirits. Kentucky still won 123-103 and the Colonels advanced to the ABA Finals for the third time. ABA Finals The Denver Nuggets had won the ABA Western Division with the league's best record at 65-19. After dispatching the Utah Stars in the Western Division semifinals the Nuggets had faced the Indiana Pacers in the Western Division Finals after the Pacers eliminated the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Division semifinals. In a hard fought series that went the distance the Pacers had edged the Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Division finals to return to the ABA Finals for the fifth time. The Pacers had won two of the past three ABA Championships, including edging out the Colonels 4 games to 3 in the 1973 Finals. On May 13 the Pacers and Colonels met in Freedom Hall for Game 1. 14,368 fans attended and despite On May 18 the Colonels took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series by winning Game 3 in Indianapolis 109-101. 17,388 fans saw Artis Gilmore play a remarkable game as he finished the night with 41 points and 28 rebounds. The next evening the Pacers rebounded to win Game 4 94-86. Dan Issel had 26 points in front of 14,589 fans and the Colonels returned to Louisville with a 3-1 edge in the series. On May 22 Kentucky and Indiana met in Louisville for Game 5. Player statistics Legend eason Playoffs Awards and records Awards * Louie Dampier, ABA All Star Game Records * Artis Gilmore, most minutes played, 1974-75 season (3,493) Transactions Draft and preseason signings * May 1974: the Colonels purchased Trades * June 1974: the Colonels trade a draft choice and cash to the References * [http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/KEN/1975.html Colonels on Basketball Reference] External links * [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1975Playoffs.html RememberTheABA.com 1974-75 regular season and playoff results]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
* GP: Games played
* GS: Games started
* MPG: Minutes per game
* FG%: Field goal percentage
* 3FG%: 3-point field goal percentage
* FT%:
* RPG: Rebounds per game
* APG: Assists per game
* SPG: Steals per game
* BPG: Blocks per game
* PPG: Points per game
* Artis Gilmore, All-ABA First Team
* Artis Gilmore, ABA All Star Game
* Artis Gilmore, Most Valuable Player, ABA Finals
* Artis Gilmore, ABA All-Defensive Team
* Dan Issel, ABA All Star Game
* June 1974: the Colonels signed
* August 27, 1974: the Colonels traded the rights to
* December 1974:
* January 15, 1975:
* [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Kentucky-Colonels.html RememberTheABA.com Kentucky Colonels page]
